Feed-in device for continuous forms for a printer

ABSTRACT

A feed in device for continuous forms (e.g. in rolls or stacks) for supplying the printer of a data processing system. The rolls or stacks are arranged one underneath the other or one next to the other. The individual continuous form pages can be pulled off upwards flat next to one another. A guiding device is arranged above the rolls or stacks, where said guiding device is provided with slots for the passage of respectively one continuous form. A holding device is here provided for each slot, which prevents the respective continuous form from sliding downwards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a feed-in device for various continuous forms,assembled in rolls or stacks, for feeding the printer of a dataprocessing system. Here, the rolls or stacks are arranged respectivelybelow or next to one another, so that the individual continuous formsheets can be pulled off upwards flat next to one another.

When a data processing system is used for various functions, forexample, accounting, scheduling, routine circulars, invoicing, and thelike, appropriate preprinted continuous forms are always required.Depending on the work of the data processing system, they are fed ascontinuous forms for the particular function, into the printer of thedata processing system. Consequently, for such an operation, anappropriate number of continuous forms must be kept available, sinceeach function generally requires its own individual printed form. Whenmaking a transition from one to another function, it is necessary toremove the continuous form stock that was previously fed into theprinter and to insert into the printer the continuous form stock that isrequired for the new function. The continuous forms are generallyassembled in stacks and housed in cartons. Up to now, their interchangehas been accomplished by placing them by the printer as required, and byinserting into the printer the continuous form stock from the carton.The cartons which contain the continuous form stock involve objects ofconsiderable weight. Consequently, the replacement of cartons, which isnecessary in the well-known operating mode described above, represents abodily stress for the operating personnel, which impairs the rapidoperation of the data processing system and which occasionally cannot bemanaged at all by the available personnel. In any case, transporting therespective cartons back and forth is tedious work.

Instead of assembling the continuous forms into a stack, there alsoexists the possibility of assembling them on a roll, which then must bereplaced like the above-described carton. The problem of back-and-forthtransport is here the same.

A feed-in device for continuous forms assembled in stacks is alreadyknown from the U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,827. Here, the continuous forms areconducted to a printer. The feed-in device here consists of a box withcompartments arranged vertically or horizontally next to one another, towhich the respective stack of continuous forms is assigned. Thecontinuous forms are here either pulled out upwards from the verticalcompartments or are pulled out sideways from the horizontal compartmentsand are conducted to a printer. With this arrangement to transfer fromone continuous form to another, it is necessary to reach into therespective compartment, and to seize the end of the continuous formlocated in this compartment, so as to thread it into the printer. Thisextraction of a continuous form from a compartment, when transferringfrom one continuous form to another, represents an inconvenient handlingprocess, especially when a compartment is still nearly completely filledup by the respective stack. In this case, there is only little space forseizing the respective end of the continuous form with the hand.

Furthermore, from the journal IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Volume17, Number 7, December 1974, pages 1933 and 1934, a feed-in device forcontinuous forms collected in stacks has become known, which involvesthe following: When a stack is used up, a new stack is rapidly madeavailable or else a transfer is made from one stack to another stackthat has previously been made ready. This particular arrangement workswith a rotary device, which has room for two stacks. The continuous formis always withdrawn from one stack, while the second stack is held inreadiness on the rotary device. At first, its end is held fast by aspiked roller. If a stack has now been used up, or if the continuousform of the stack held in readiness is to be fed in, the rotary deviceis turned, and the ready stack is thereby brought into position forpulling off the continuous form. The end of the respective continuousform, which is held fast by the spiked roller, is then tilted over tothe feed-in device of the printer, which thereupon pulls in thecontinuous form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the aim of essentially avoiding theback-and-forth transport of rolls and stacks of continuous forms, and ofdesigning the preparation of a multiplicity of continuous forms in sucha fashion that the latter can be introduced into the printer quickly inan especially simple manner, especially when a transition is made fromone continuous form to another. According to the invention, this aim isachieved by arranging, above the rolls or stacks, a guiding device thatis provided with slots, each one designed for the passage of onecontinuous form. Here, a holding device is provided for each slot, whichprevents the particular continuous form from sliding downwards.

The above-described arrangement of the rolls or stacks has as its resultthat as many continuous form strips extend from the slots of the guidingdevice as are altogether provided for operating the respective dataprocessing system. The continuous form strips are here retained by theholding device, so that they cannot slide back through the respectiveslot in the guiding device, after being separated from the printer. Whena transition is made from one form sheet to another, the last processedcontinuous form strip is therefore separated above the holding device,its remainder is taken out from the printer, and the continuous formstrip required for the next function is withdrawn from the guidingdevice and is threaded into the printer. Consequently, the individualcontinuous form strips are available ready for handling, in the guidingdevice, always being retained by the holding device. As they are needed,they can be threaded into the printer easily, and especially withoutmoving the particular stack or the particular roll back and forth. Thisinvolves work which, on the one hand, can be executed very quickly and,on the other hand, presents practically no strain to the operatingpersonnel. Transportation of a carton or a roll is required only when astack or a roll of a continuous form has been used up. In this case, anew roll or a new stack must be inserted at the appropriate location.From there, the respective continuous form strip must then be insertedinto the guiding device and into the holding device.

In contrast to the arrangement described in the journal IBM TechnicalDisclosure Bulletin, the feed-in device according to the inventionoffers the advantage that no motion of the stack or roll is necessarywhen making a transition from one continuous form to another. As aconsequence, the interchange from one continuous form to another canproceed very rapidly, with respect to the arrangement according to theU.S. Pat. No. 2,587,827, the invention provides the advantage that thecontinuous forms are available with their ends directly ready forhandling, so that they can be grasped easily. The continuous forms herealways extend somewhat above the guiding device and therefore can alsobe recognized immediately as regards their characteristics, e.g. type ofpreprinting.

The guiding device is suitably set into a table, which is connected withthe printer, and which in particular may support the printer. In thiscase, the stacks or rolls are suitably housed underneath the table top.The individual continuous form strips are then conducted to the slots inthe guiding device.

The holding device can be designed as an eccentrically mounted shaft,which contacts the wall of the respective slot because of gravity. Here,the continuous form is pulled up along this wall and, as it is pulledoff, it presses the shaft away from the wall. In this way, the shaftcannot hinder the withdrawal of the continuous forms. However, thecontinuous form strip lies between the shaft and the wall and thepressure of the shaft presses the continuous form strip against thewall. As a result, when it happens not to be just then threaded into theprinter, it cannot slide back into the guiding device by virtue of itsweight. Naturally, the shaft can also be constructed of individual partsper slot, and in particular to two parts at the two edges of thecontinuous form strip.

The holding device is suitably placed into a slot. As a result, when atable is used and when the guiding device is set into the table, onlythe ends of the available continuous form strips protrude from therespective table top. From here, they can be individually and easilyconducted to the printer by hand.

It is advantageous to provide the holding device with a signal generatorthat tests the presence of a continuous form. As long as this signalgenerator indicates the presence of the continuous form, the feed-indevice is fully ready to operate. However, if one continuous form hasbeen used up, the signal generator reports this condition. This preventsthe printer from perhaps writing on an empty roller. The signalgenerator can here simultaneously stop the printer when it determinesthat the continuous form has been exhausted.

It is advantageous to design the shaft of the holding device togetherwith the guiding device as the switching contact that forms the signalgenerator. If the end of a continuous form strip is then pulled throughthe holding device, the shaft then makes contact with the wall of therespective slot of the guiding device and closes the contact. In orderto fulfill this contacting function, the shaft can be mounted so as tobe electrically insulated, and the wall of the respective slot can beplaced at an appropriate electrical potential. Naturally, however, it isalso possible to provide a special insulated contact pin in the wall.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures show an embodiment of the invention. The following areshown:

FIG. 1 shows a section through a table with a printer supported thereon,and cartons arranged underneath the table top.

FIG. 2 shows a section through the guiding device with holding devicesarranged in the slots.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a table with a table top 1, a support 2, and a foot 3. Theprinter 4 of a data processing system, here designed as a kind ofteletype, is situated on the table top 1. Below the table top 1, at thesupport 2, the consoles 5 are arranged laterally. On these are placedthe cartons 6 with the continuous form strips 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.For the operating case being considered here, one of the consoles 5 hasremained empty. The continuous form strips 7 are assembled in thecartons 6 as stacks of fan-folded continuous form strips.

The continuous form strips 7-12 are individually guided upwards next tothe support 2, at first underneath the table top 1. In particular, thisis done so that their flat sides face one another in parallel one nextto the other. In this relative position, the continuous form strips 7-12are threaded through the guiding device 13, which is set into the tabletop 1. For this purpose, the guiding device 13 is equipped withcorresponding slots 14. Holding devices, which are not shown here, areprovided in the slots 14. These holding devices will be discussed inmore detail in connection with FIG. 2. The continuous form strips 7-12then extend a few centimeters above the guiding device 13, unless theyare threaded into the printer 4. In this way, they are always availableready for reach. In the operating case under consideration, thecontinuous form strip 7 has been threaded into the printer, runs throughthe printer in well-known fashion, and is then again lead out of theprinter. It is stored behind the printer 4 on that part of table top 1that has been provided for this purpose. It is therefore suitable toprovide a table top 1 that has a size appropriate for the intendedoperation.

When the particular data processing system, which is not shown and whichworks together with the printer 4, now must transfer to anotherfunction, the continuous form strip 7, which is threaded into theprinter 4, is separated above the guiding device 13 along a tear-offpoint, the remainder of the continuous form strip is withdrawn from theprinter 4, and the continuous form strip required for the next function,for example the continuous form strip 8, is pulled through the guidingdevice 13 and is threaded into the printer 4, which thereupon can writeon this continuous form strip. The transition from one continuous formstrip to another is therefore quite simple and is not associated withany motion of the cartons 8. In the embodiment under consideration,these cartons are furthermore stored in a space-saving fashionunderneath the table top 1.

FIG. 2 shows the guiding device 13 in section. It is set into the tabletop 1 and has slots 14, which are separated from one another by thewalls 15. The shafts 16 are mounted in the slots 14 and in particular oneccentric axles 17. As a result of the inherent weight of the shaft 16,there is a trend for the shaft 16 to contact the respective right sideof the relevant slot 14 under the action of gravity. The continuous formstrips 7 through 12 are now pulled through here. Under theabove-described action of the shafts 16, they are pressed against therespective wall of the slot 14. This mode of procedure prevents thecontinuous form strips 7-12, which have been cut off above the guidingdevice 13, from being able to slide back through the slots 14 because oftheir weight. However, the shafts 16, which here form the holdingdevice, equally allow the continuous form strips 7-12 to be pulled outupwards from the guiding device, in the direction of the drawn-inarrows, since here the shafts 16 lift slightly from the respective wallsof the slots 14.

In order to indicate to the relevant data processing system that acontinuous form strip has been used up, the shafts 16 together with therespective walls 15 form a switching contact. When a shaft 16 contactsthe respective wall of the slot 14, the contact is closed. For thispurpose, the shafts 16 are mounted in an insulated fashion, and consistof metal, as does the guiding device 13. The shafts 16 and therespective walls 15 form a switching contact. When this switchingcontact is closed, an electrical signal is triggered. In a manner thatis not of interest here, this signal indicates that the respectivecontinuous form strip has been used up. The data processing system canthereby also be stopped at the same time.

While various aspects of the invention have been set forth by thedrawings and specification, it is to be understood that the foregoingdetailed description is for illustration only, and that various changesin parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent constitutents forthose shown and described may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention ad set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Apparatus for the feed of continuously connectedform strips to a printing device, comprising means for guiding saidstrips to said printing device, means for positioning said strips belowthe guiding means, and means included in said guiding means forindividually retaining a plurality of said strips extending verticallythrough and terminating above said guiding means, said strips being fromseparate sources, and held in position for being grasped individually bya user for subsequent feed to said printing device.
 2. Apparatus asdefined in claim 1 wherein the retaining means comprises a separate slotfor the strips of each separate source and each slot includes aneccentrically mounted cam which is positioned against a wall of saidslot when the strip is absent therefrom and temporarily holds said stripagainst said wall by the action of gravity when the strip is introducedinto said slot.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the retainingmeans includes means for detecting the presence of a continuouslyconnected form strip held thereby.
 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3wherein the retaining means acts as a switching contact through which anindicator is energizable.
 5. The method of providing for the continuousfeed of continuously connected form strips to a printing devicecomprising the steps of:(a) feeding one continuously connected formstrip to a printing device; (b) temporarily holding another continuouslyconnected form strip extending vertically with the end thereofprotruding above a temporary holding mechanism; (c) grasping said end ofthe other strip and pulling to release it from its temporary holdposition and feeding said end into said printing device at thetermination of feed of said one strip.